Zakinthos is one of the largest and greenest islands in the southern Ionian sea. The gods Artemis and Apollo chose it for their own holidays for its idyllic landscapes nestled in green, for its marvelous sandy beaches and for its deep blue waters and marine caves, for its enchanting sunsets and its mild climate.
Kefalonia
Captain Corelli may have long since strummed the strings of his mandolin but the love affair with the Ionian Island he made his own is getting more powerful by the year. Kefalonia is the largest of the seven-island Ionian group. It has been slow to bite the tourism apple and as a result, the islanders learnt a lot from other people’s mistakes.
Ithaca
Home of Odysseus, and perhaps Homer, this tiny island attracts sailors and holidaymakers from all over the world. It is very beautiful, and is surrounded by some of the clearest waters in Greece. Ithaca is truly a magical place, and stands for the homecoming. Odysseus sailed for a decade to reach his home, and many sailors believe Ithaca is the ultimate goal. Its friendly people will do their best to make you feel welcome, and it is no coincidence that many return here year after year.
Lefkada
It is said that Lefkada has the best beaches in the Meditteranean Sea, with crystal water and steep rocky surroundings. Porto Katsiki, Kathisma and Egremni are of great natural beauty, while Agios Ioannis and Vassiliki are the best windsurfing spots.
Drop anchor off Nidri. From here a short tender journey will take you to the port of Nidri and Kalamos Island.
Sivota
Such a stunning and relatively unspoilt place is hard to find but Syvota, facing the islands of Corfu and Paxos, fits that bill perfectly. Lush undeveloped landscape, small villages, deserted beaches with a dramatic mountain backdrop, this is one of those beautiful locations that it is quite conceivable you may wish to come back to and stay forever!!
Paxos
Paxos is an island of endless olive groves and Anti Paxos one large vineyard. The eastern coastline of the islands is gentle compared to the west coast which is bold and abrupt, with caves, arches and sheer cliffs. The capital of Paxos is Gaios a picturesque village built around a port which is protected by two small islands Agios Nikolas and Panagia. On the Northern side is the village of Lakka and on the east side is the very charming village of Loggos. You will find the pace is still unhurried, very relaxing with genuine friendly Greek hospitality at its best.
Corfu
Countess Flamburiari has said - ‘Corfu town is Venice and Naples, a touch of France and more than a dash of England, apart of course from being Greek’ -. The town is a maze of narrow streets dominated by the 16th century fortress. Around every corner you can you find a chapel, old mansion or secret garden square. The café at the Liston: built by the French in the same style as those in Rue de Rivoli, Paris; is probably the place to ‘people watch’ while enjoying a Ginger beer. The narrow streets radiating off from the Liston, house small shops of every commercial nature. Dominated by the ‘gold shops’. Corfiot craftsmen excel at designing and making Greek jewelry in gold so make sure to look for hidden treasures.
That’s a question many of us may have asked when the office walls start to close in on
us.
And while some young sailors manage life on small yachts with almost no amenities
aboard – there is a better way to do it.
Paul and Sheryl are still living their dream
Canadian couple, Paul and Sheryl Shard, set sail from Lake Ontario with a dream of
sailing south when they were in their early 30's. That was nearly 30 years ago, and
since then, they have visited five continents, crossed the ocean seven times and
clocked 100,000 miles under the keel.
As independent TV producers, the couple is responsible for their very own successful
production called "Distant Shores" from which they derive their income. The TV show
has been translated into 28 languages and have been seen by millions around the
world.
Paul and Sheryl have spent more than $100,000 on camera gear and editing
equipment. The series is professionally scripted and filmed specifically for television.
Making use of modern technology
Modern technology has, however, opened new possibilities. A GoPro camera allows
you to shoot above or under water, while drones enable you to shoot amazing aerial
shots. Every island or marina has an internet connection of some sorts that will allow
you to upload your videos to YouTube. And so your adventures begin!
Such is the story of Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu of
La Vagabonde.
Realising his dream
Riley worked offshore on oil rigs and in the mines of Western Australia, saving every
possible dollar to buy a half-decent yacht. When Riley discovered that yachts are half
the price in Europe compared to Australia, he travelled to Italy in 2003 and bought La
Vagabonde, a 2007 Beneteau Cyclades for roughly €73,000 – an absolute bargain.
Air tickets and the yacht survey set him back another $4,700 while some improvements
to the yacht came at a cost of €15,000. His insurance cost was 3,000 AUD a year.
When Riley picked up the yacht in Italy, he had only about ten hours of sailing behind
his name.
Image courtesy of @robinchristolphotography
Meeting Elayna
Riley sailed to Greece when he met Elayna, who was working as a musician for a travel
company. The couple fell in love and Elayna agreed to join him on his journey around
the world. Elayna found Riley's unused video camera on the yacht and starting filming
their adventures. When she wanted to post these videos onto YouTube for her friends
and family, Riley was sceptical. After much convincing, he obliged. A friend then
advised them to use
Patreon, a crowd-funding site. Currently
they have over 1,331 patrons on
Patreon who donate from $5-$200 per episode with a
current total for all their patrons at $8,917 per episode. They have uploaded 112 videos
since October, 2014 (about four episodes every month) generating a substantial
income.
Image courtesy of @robinchristolphotography
With the help of Patreon
Thanks to Patreon they have been able to continue their journey around the world,
documenting their voyage and calling sailing their full-time jobs. This enabled them to
buy new filming equipment, do repairs to their yacht and put food on the table. But most
importantly, they have been able to remain independent, declining large companies and
sponsorship deals whom they did not feel comfortable to represent. Says Riley: "Now
this adventure and the entire project surrounding it are completely funded by the income
we get from producing the sailing videos. Some of this comes from YouTube
advertising, but most of it comes from pledges and donations. Straight from the people
that enjoy watching the videos. Because of the support and love we’ve received, we are
now able to fund our sailing and travels 100% and continue releasing our videos for
free!"
Image courtesy of @robinchristolphotography
The attractive couple are both very spontaneous, fun-loving and interesting people who
share both their good times and bad times with their audience. From tears after their
dinner slid off the table on the floor or the pot full of spaghetti that tipped off the stove
during rough weather – to joyous moments when they have crossed the Atlantic.
They are honest and frank and will admit when they messed up or don't know
something. After watching their series you will soon realize that live on a yacht is not
only moonshine and roses. That is why this story is such a success.
Brand-new Outnemer catamaran
The couple recently saw an Outnemer catamaran when they arrived in Venezuela and
was extremely impressed. The owner of this yacht was working for the Outnemer
company and he was also a keen follower of the La Vagabonde episodes on YouTube.
He gave Riley the email address of the CEO of the Outnemer company and after much
negotiation, Outnemer agreed to provide a new catamaran at a reduced price and take
out a loan on La Vagabond's behalf which Riley and Elayna will pay back from the
monies they receive from Patreon. Outnemer will obviously get much media publicity
with this venture.
The couple have travelled over 31,000 nautical miles together now and have more than
270,000 subscribers with over 30 million views on YouTube. They have just received
their $1 million OUTREMER 45 catamaran on the 4th of March 2017 with much media
publicity in La Grande Motte, in the south of France.
About Outnemer Catamarans
The
Outremer catamaran is a high-performance multihull cruiser, renowned for their
seaworthiness and speed. More than 280 vessels have been built by the specialists
yard in La Grande Motte, in the South of France and Outremer catamarans have won
most Transatlantic and long distance races, which they have entered. The Outremer 45
catamaran’s twin, high aspect ratio daggerboards will outperform a racing monohull to
windward. Her twin skegs placed just ahead of the saildrives and rudders, will protect
them from impacts and also allow for safe beaching. The coachroof, which is shared by
her larger sisters, sleek hulls and beautifully arched crossbeams remain the visual
trademarks of Outremer catamarans. Amongst his many transatlantic voyages,
Aeroyacht’s founder Gregor Tarjan not only owned an Outremer catamaran but has also
sailed 3 Outremer catamarans transatlantic.
The most popular YouTube sailing channels
We have listed the most popular YouTube sailing channels (16) below with the number
of the subscribers, views, videos and date of joining YouTube. Interesting enough the
majority started in 2015.
Sailing La Vagabonde
YouTube (Oct 2014) |
Web |
Patreon
282,440 subscribers • 33,914,143 views • 109 videos
An Australian couple, Riley and Elayna onboard La Vagabonde, a 2007 Beneteau
Cyclades.
Sailing SV Delos YouTube
(May 2007) | Web |
Patreon
166,971 subscribers • 45,803,418 views • 165 videos
Brian (USA), Brady (USA) and Karin (Sweden) onboard Delos, a 53 foot Amel Super
Maramu built in 2000.
Gone with the Wynns YouTube
(Sep 2010) | Web
| Patreon
119,076 subscribers • 18,967,197 views • 306 videos
Jason and Nikki Wynn (USA) onboard Curiosity, a 2005 Robertson and Caine Leopard
43 Catamaran.
Rick Moore YouTube (Jul
2007) | Web |
Patreon
61,199 subscribers • 36,622,222 views • 436 videos
Rick Moore (Canada) is a sailing video producer and lives on board of
“Sophisticated Lady”, a 50ft Jeanneau.
WhiteSpotPirates YouTube
(Jun 2013) | Web |
Patreon
41,558 subscribers • 6,450,834 views • 131 videos
A single handed German sailor girl named Nike, onboard a Reinke Super 10 1992
bought in Panama.
Chase the Story Sailing
YouTube (Sep 2015) | Web
| Patreon
34,415 subscribers • 3,356,943 views • 50 videos
Ryan and Tasha onboard Cheeky Monkey (Fountaine-Pajot Helia catamaran 44 2015)
sailing since 2015.
Sailing Uma
YouTube (Feb 2015) |
Web | Patreon
28,003 subscribers • 2,171,124 views • 67 videos
Dan (Canada) and Kika (Haiti) onboard Uma, a 1972 Pearson 36’.
Monday Never
YouTube (October 2014) |
Web | Patreon
27,571 subscribers • 2,066,966 views • 37 videos
Will and Cat met in 2011 in the BVIs. Will was a Yacht Week skipper whilst Cat
had never sailed before. The saved all their money and bought Paradox (36'
Merlin CS 1989) in October 2015 and began to travel.
RAN Sailing
YouTube (October 2014) |
Web |
Patreon
25,233 subscribers • 1,484,345 views • 41 videos
Malin and Johan, a Swedish couple started in January 2016 onboard a Beason 40, a
1987 custom built boat.
Distant Shores TV
YouTube (Jul 2009) |
Web | Patreon
20,017 subscribers • 1,770,034 views • 112 videos
Paul and Sheryl Shard, a Canadian couple who set sail and lived onboard Distant
Shores since 1989.
Sailing Nandji - Frothlyfe
YouTube (Jan 2015) |
Web | Patreon
18,426 subscribers • 1,446,890 views • 24 videos
Yoshi and Bonita onboard Nandji (Roberts 40 sloop cutter) sailing since 2015.
FollowTheBoat YouTube
(Jul 2006) | Web |
Patreon
16,897 subscribers • 3,054,802 views • 219 videos
The adventures of Liz and Jamie onboard Esper, an Oyster 435 built in 1989
currently undergoing a major refit.
Sailing Trio Travels YouTube
(Jun 2010) | Web |
Patreon
13,995 subscribers • 2,645,998 views • 102 videos
A Canadian family consisting of Brad and Krista with their 11 year old son named
Cole onboard a Fountaine Pajot Venezia 42 Catamaran.
Adventure Adrift
YouTube (October 2014) |
Web |
Patreon
13,389 subscribers • 910,756 views • 51 videos
Hillary (USA) and Ty (Australia) onboard Varuna, a 1982 Pearson 367.
Sea Change
YouTube (Jun 2016) |
Web | Patreon
11,831 subscribers • 458,638 views • 8 videos
In December, 2015 three men and a little dog set out on a round-the-world trip
on 44 foot sailboat Cool Change.
The author endeavoured to provide the user with correct and accurate
information at the time of this writing (March 2017). However, despite these
efforts, errors might still occur and the author cannot be held responsible for
any errors or damages caused.
